Episode 6 - Charity Work In Prison

Phyl and Bev's idea of helping Buki make a motorised wheelchair for Lennox may not be motivated by their desire to do something good, but the other women who set to work clearly want to help Lennox and Buki. They make a fantastic job of the whole thing and obviously get a lot of satisfaction out of doing something to help others.

In prisons all over the country the Inside Out Trust is the main charity developing prison projects which enable prisoners to contribute something to others.

The prisoners learn new skills which they willingly use to provide goods and services to disadvantaged people all over the world, new skills which should improve their own employment prospects after release.Prisoners learn about the needs of other people and their ability to help them. They feel restored to the world outside and more positive about their place within it.

More than half the Trust's 150 projects involve recycling all sorts of thrown away equipment - including bikes, motorbikes, computers, typewriters, sewing machines and, of course, wheelchairs! And about a dozen prisons have workshops set up to repair and renovate wheelchairs for disabled people mostly in poor countries where none are available. Prisoners are very highly motivated for this work and know what a difference they can make to someone else's life. They pay particular attention to the safety of each wheelchair. After all, if the brakes fail, a disabled user cannot save himself.

Strong links are made with the many charities which distribute wheelchairs to the people who need them and prisoners greatly enjoy receiving letters, videos and before and after photographs. People who literally had to crawl along the ground now have dignity. They can go to school or find work. They have a future. And so do the prisoners.

So let's hope Larkhall decides that it should open an Inside Out Trust workshop and start regular production of or recycling of wheelchairs! More information about the work of the Inside Out Trust is available on their website.